State Department: We call on the Egyptian military to release Morsi

posted at 4:01 pm on July 12, 2013 by Allahpundit

Is it worth trying to analyze the White House’s moves on Egypt in terms of a master “strategy” anymore? It’s like trying to analyze the mise-en-scene in “Sharknado.” To do so is to attribute to the object a sophistication it obviously lacks.

Let’s try anyway. For fun.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States agreed with Germany’s earlier appeal for Morsi to be released and was “publicly” making the same request.

Morsi has been held in a “safe place,” according to the interim leaders, and has not been seen in public since his ouster July 3.

Psaki said that US officials had been in regular contact with all sectors of Egyptian society.

But in past days, while condemning arbitrary arrests, she had refused to say whether the US administration believed Morsi should be freed.

What better way to soothe a roiling mass of angry Islamists than to give them back their leader? That worked out okay in Iran once before, didn’t it?

The Hopenchange “strategy” in Egypt at this point is simple bet-hedging by pandering to all sides. Two years ago, they thought the best way to build goodwill with the Arab Spring was to support democracy come what may, even if it meant government by the Muslim Brotherhood. They stuck with that logic for two years, right through the spectacle of millions of people marching in Cairo’s streets to bring down Morsi, some of them carrying signs accusing Obama and Anne Patterson of supporting terrorism for sticking by the duly elected Islamist regime. Time to recalibrate: Now the White House is kinda sorta pro-coup — they won’t cut aid to Egypt’s military for having deposed the president — but also still kinda sorta pro-Morsi in that they want the military to let him go free, especially since (as far as I know) he hasn’t been charged with any crime. Pandering to both sides gives them a little more leverage in theory to get everyone back to the table politically, rather than have the Brotherhood quit politics and start to go the Taliban route. Whether Morsi’s release would make that more likely or less is almost beside the point. The point is to maximize U.S. leverage in the near term, and going to bat for him while keeping the greenbacks flowing to the military arguably does that. I wonder how many people on one side the other would have to kill before the White House sides with one of them unambiguously. We may find out.

Just wondering: If the military decides, nope, they won’t be releasing Morsi despite the White House’s request, what’s our next move? If O decides to punish them by cutting aid, that will … complicate his goodwill-building project with the mass of Egyptians who already think he’s in the tank for the Brotherhood. If he decides not to cut aid despite their defiance, then he’s all but admitting that our money buys us no real leverage over the Egyptian military except as a way to keep them from starting a war with Israel, which is the one real red line in all of this.

Anyway. What’d you think of the lighting in “Sharknado”? I thought the guy who played Ian Ziering’s son really glowed when he tried to “emote.”

Blowback

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The internal politics of a nation like Egypt, Iran, Syria, or Syria should be off limits politically. If they are an enemy then utilize military, or intelligence assets to pressure or topple them, though that too is often unwise. If they want to engage in cannibal festivals, it’s none of our business unless they are putting tourists on the menu.

Foreign policy, to this administration (and to remain topical) is like one of the Pamplona bulls, and SecState is just one of the runners. The theory is that if we blend in, and keep running from it, the chances are good that we won’t be gored.

Jen wants to assure you “categorically” that John Kerry is not on his yacht, and is “working” hard on a coherent Egyptian strategy. But he has asked the “common people” to understand that the winds are variable, and gusts have made steering a straight course difficult. Sometimes it’s been necessary to come about, gybe, even broach to avoid the rocky lee shore. We may have to change helmsmen with little warning, but Captain Kerry assures us that The Best Men are constantly vigilent, overseeing the trim of the vessel of state, and can be trusted by the common people to bring the ship safely into harbor.

The Department of State announces the termination of a broad range of assistance to the government of Honduras as a result of the coup d’etat that took place on June 28. The Secretary already had suspended assistance shortly after the coup.

The Secretary of State has made the decision, consistent with U.S. legislation, recognizing the need for strong measures in light of the continued resistance to the adoption of the San Jose Accord by the de facto regime and continuing failure to restore democratic, constitutional rule to Honduras.

The Department of State recognizes the complicated nature of the actions which led to June 28 coup d’etat in which Honduras’ democratically elected leader, President Zelaya, was removed from office. These events involve complex factual and legal questions and the participation of both the legislative and judicial branches of government as well as the military.

Restoration of the terminated assistance will be predicated upon a return to democratic, constitutional governance in Honduras.
The Department of State further announces that we have identified individual members and supporters of the de facto regime whose visas are in the process of being revoked.

A presidential election is currently scheduled for November. That election must be undertaken in a free, fair and transparent manner. It must also be free of taint and open to all Hondurans to exercise their democratic franchise. At this moment, we would not be able to support the outcome of the scheduled elections. A positive conclusion of the Arias process would provide a sound basis for legitimate elections to proceed. We strongly urge all parties to the San Jose talks to move expeditiously to agreement.

I love the coup d’etat approach for Honduras when, in fact, it was the execution of their Constitution.

This was 4 years ago. Its telling Obama hasn’t learned anything about foreign relations yet.

You keep using that word free. I don’t think it means to the Administration what you think it means.

oldroy on July 12, 2013 at 4:11 PM

I know all about them. I mean it the way I type it, in the true sense of “free”. Name one such nation, I triple dare anyone. Don’t name the Nation of Islam, please and don’t be sarcastic. Name a free/freer nation, due to obama.

Release an extremist despot who won a very questionable election, trampled on the democratic process he swore to uphold, consorted with foreign forces associated with Islamic terrorists and most-likely conspired to change a constitutionally secular society into a launching pad for an extremist theocracy.

That way, the terrorist forces behind this corruption of a democratic state can have their very own UBL and further destabilize the Middle East.

This is quite possibly the stupidest, contra-intellectual political move I have ever had the displeasure to read. It is either a grotesquely naive move by the president or a despicable personal political move.

The lighting was dramatically obtuse in its lingering tease towards altruism with a tilt towards banality and that is how IMHO they were able to create the illusion of glowing emotion…or ,er emoting glowage or something.

Not really sure since I didn’t see it.

Release Morsi at Sangamon and 35th in Chicago on a Friday night after 11pm and see if he can walk out. Blame it on Obama’s community if he doesn’t make it.

From a tall building, head-first, onto concrete … just as his admirers did to their oppostion. And then they should send our President a lovely “Thank You” card for the F-16s.

Great googoly-moogoly, it’s like having that stoner-dropout cousin with the Minibus and the job at Auntie Hiawatha’s Hemp Store run your country. I swear, they just make this sh** up as they go along. Any coherent, thematic principles just waft away, like so much bong smoke.

Eqypt, the Egyptian people and especially Egyptian Christians would be much better off if he and as many as his associates as possible were executed. Of course, Obama doesn’t want what’s best for Eqypt, especially the Christians there, anymore than he wants what’s best for America, especially the Christians here.

I would love to know the definition of ‘working hard’ when it comes to Obama and John Kerry. Same for Hillary and Bill Clinton. They don’t do anything except cause trouble and pretend it is working hard. I am sick of all that crowd.

Much like when the Venezuelan Army ousted Hugo Chavez, people need to learn a lesson, when you remove someone from power by force you need to remove them from the living world.

In the case of Venezuela President Bush the Younger pressured the Venezuelan Military to allow Hugo Chavez to return to power, and that decision bit us in the ass for a decade.

As soon as the Egyptian Military took control of the government my first reaction was that they should to kill Morsi to keep the Egyptian Military from being pressured by President Clown to put Morsi back into power.

When you set out to kill the king, you kill the king. You don’t just wound him a little.

The US should stay out of this. Machiavelli would have advise the military to have shot him long ago (claiming violent resistance to arrest, of course). Keeping him alive allowing people to demonstrate for his return to power is dangerous, and releasing him makes him a rallying point. More violence will probably result from his being alive & free.

The Hopenchange “strategy” in Egypt at this point is simple bet-hedging by pandering to all sides.

It’s more complicated than that. Obama has no issue with tyranny and despotism, as long as it is done in the name of socialism or Islam. Despotism by allies of “US imperialism” is different, as in evil. Mubarak was an ally, and Gaddafi had been intimidated into cooperation. So they had to go. Morsi is an anti-American Islamist, ergo worthy of support and defense. Look to Obama’s actions in Central and South America, his response to the ouster of the would-be dictator-for-life Zelaya. Tolerance if not outright support for anti-American socialists.

His demand for Morsi’s release is consistent with his obvious sympathies with the Muslim Brotherhood, the community organizers of Islam. Is there a single example of him criticizing the Brotherhood?

Not that pandering and two-faced double-talking with an eye on how it plays domestically aren’t in the game plan. Those are favorite old stand-bys.